Recent civilizational transformations have led us to search for and introduce new didactic solutions. One of these is e-learning, which is a response to the needs of the education system and its individual stakeholders. The e-learning systems currently available offer similar solutions. Only during direct interaction with a given tool can one notice significant differences in their functionality. By carrying out evaluation studies the indicators that determine this functionality can be identified. The paper presents e-learning in the context of the academic training of the future generations of teachers. The reflections revolve around digital literacy and experience in using modern information and communication technologies in education. The goal of the research was to evaluate three areas: the functionality of the SELI platform, individual experiences with e-learning, and digital literacy. The technique used was an e-learning survey appended to the end of two e-learning courses offered on the platform. The survey was addressed to teachers and students of the biggest pedagogical university in Poland. The general impression of the content presented on the platform was, in most cases, rated as being very good or good. The platform itself was also evaluated positively. Based on the analyses conducted, two groups of platform users were identified. One third of the users have diverse experiences with e-learning, which corresponds with their digital literacy. The remaining two thirds of the respondents need more training in the areas evaluated. The authors of the paper believe that this type of study should accompany all activities that introduce e-learning at every stage of education. Only then will it be possible to discover where the digital divide lies among the teaching staff and learners.

Researchers and society in general seem to be conflicted regarding the use of digital technology in early childhood education (ECE). Some are focusing on the positive aspects of using digital technology, while others are critical and position it as an enemy of early childhood practice. It has been argued that digital technology is not appropriate for young children’s cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. Nevertheless, supporting and developing young children’s beginning digital competence is implemented in curricula and teacher education globally. The need for teachers’ professional digital competence (PDC) is increasing according to the development and increased use of digital technology in society as a whole, including in the field of education. The field of research has, to a large extent, been focused on primary and secondary education, and there is a lack of research on PDC in ECE. To gain insight into the dynamics of PDC in ECE, we investigated a range of ECE contexts by including different international perspectives in a comparative study of pre-service early childhood (EC) teachers transitioning to being in-service teachers. The survey was conducted in eight different nations (Norway, Slovenia, Portugal, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, England and Jordan) and resulted in 772 responses from pre-service teachers in the last year of their education. The paper discusses these international perspectives, considering the differences found between nations. It also investigates the dynamics of PDC, understood in this article as comprising attitudes, skills and knowledge. Following this, it also investigates how these dynamics are affecting the pre-service teachers’ expectations related to their future application of digital tools as teachers to be. The results indicate large differences between nations for both single items and multi-item scales. At the same time, the dynamics of digital practices across nations reveal that attitudes, digital skills and knowledge are statistically strong predictors of pre-service teachers’ future use of educational digital technology (EDT). This indicates both similarities and differences across nations and could serve as insight regarding the development of teacher programmes and the importance of including all aspects when developing pre-service teachers’ PDC. This article, due to its limitation, will not elaborate in depth on contextual differences, and further qualitative research is needed to understand the complexity related to educational culture and practice.

The purpose of this study was to develop and to validate a study tool for determining the levels of academic teachers’ digital competence regarding the TPACK framework and self-reflection questionnaire of the European Competence Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators in the context of higher education. The classic 7-factor TPACK model was changed to a 2-factor model (Pedagogical and Technological Knowledge). A survey was administered to 103 academic teachers from Polish universities. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the goodness-of-fit for the 2-factor TPACK model for higher education studies and internal consistency of the study survey. Descriptive analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between some demographic variables and domains from both factors. However, some positive associations with certain variables from the professional background were also noticed. Implications for professional development and suggestions regarding teachers’ digital competences and TPACK are discussed.

The study explores the school transformation process as evidenced by the opinions of head teachers. The main goal of the research was to present a content analysis study of the Polish educational environment on the basis of primary and secondary head teachers’ views on the risks and perspectives brought by the global Covid-2019 lockdown. The conceptual framework was based on the theoretical perspective (the cognitive and affective processes in multimedia learning, the theory of motivation, and goal setting) as well as the model of the school as a learning organization and the assumptions ofEmergency Remote Teaching.The categorized interviews with the head teachers were conducted using a categorized interview questionnaire and the respondents considered various categories problems within educational practice related to the functioning of schools during the pandemic. The selection of study participants was deliberate using the snowball sampling method, 18 head teachers participated in this study. The research conducted allowed the specification of the different areas of influence ofEmergency Remote Teachingon the transformation of the school as a learning organization (e.g. the functioning of the school in mutual internal and external network cooperation, the dissemination and extending of communication areas using information technologies, the strengthening of the network interaction through information technologies, and other areas). The paper contains numerous recommendations that can improve the school's functioning in the future, based on the experience gained duringEmergency Remote Teaching. These experiences can accelerate the organizational and didactic development of the school as a learning organization.

Preparing quality academic teachers for modern digital native students is an essential task for higher educational institutions. Professional teachers' digital competencies combine professional, pedagogical, and technological knowledge and skills as well as beliefs regarding integrating technology in teaching practice. This article is an attempt to study the personal level of digital competence of PhD students as future academic teachers. The paper presents statements from an ongoing study (n=120) piloting large scale longitudinal qualitative teachers' surveys between 2017 and 2020. The first part of the research started in 2017 to attempt to recognize the personal level of digital competence of PhD students as future academic teachers. The study was conducted during 2017-2018 at the Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences. To study the levels of digital competence, a special questionnaire based on the European Competency Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators was used. The study results show different levels of digital competence depending on the students' field of study and specialty. The highest technological scores were demonstrated by PhD students of engineering specializations. However, the results also showed that on average PhD students do not feel well prepared for the practical use of digital techniques in teaching activities. The preliminary study results indicate the need to improve PhD training programs including various ways of developing students' skills for making better use of digital technology for teaching and learning.

The objective of the presented study was to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sustainability of school education by comparing Polish and German experiences in coping with the problems caused by the switch to emergency remote learning based on the school principals’ opinions. A qualitative approach was used for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 principals (13 from Poland and 13 from Germany). Thematic analysis was used to categorize the findings and to create themes and subthemes. The findings revealed that principals of both countries demonstrated clear positions for sustainable school functioning and proved their leadership competences to face the challenges of remote teaching during the pandemic. However, most of the participants reported issues regarding the organization and maintenance of sustainable e-learning, effective ICT integration and technological support. Both Polish and German school principals asserted, despite the lack of major institutional support, that their teaching staff managed to adapt quickly to the complex crisis conditions to mitigate the negative consequences of the COVID-19 on education.